Glancing at the hungry cub prowling below, Kei dangled from the tree branch, his grip firm but strained.

He wasn’t exactly in a life-or-death panic, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t mildly concerned about the oversized wolf cub eagerly waiting for him to fall.

Still, priorities.

If he was going to be stuck up here, he might as well make use of the situation.

Kei focused inward, drawing upon the 8 points of Strength allocated to him. He had already felt the impact of Dexterity, noting how it subtly refined his control over movement. Now, he wanted to see what Strength really did.

He shifted his awareness to his muscles, paying close attention as he tightened his grip on the branch.

At first, the change was hardly noticeable. It wasn’t as if some divine power surged through his limbs, nor did he suddenly feel superhuman.

But then—he felt it.

A slight tension, a firmness in his arms and shoulders that hadn’t been there before. His muscle fibers tensed and retracted, responding to his focus in a way that felt just a little more efficient than before.

It wasn’t dramatic, but it was there.

Not much… but better than nothing.

From an outsider’s perspective, it would have been easy to assume Kei had completely forgotten about the predator waiting below, but that wasn’t true. He was fully aware of the Fangcub’s presence—he had just decided to ignore it for now.

With a final pull, he hauled himself onto the branch, exhaling deeply as he shifted into a more stable position. His muscles still tingled with the aftereffects of exertion, but it was far less taxing than he expected.

He glanced down, half-expecting the Fangcub to have grown bored and wandered off.

Instead, the cub met his gaze, its golden eyes glinting with amusement.

Kei frowned.

The Fangcub just sat there, staring up at him, its tail flicking lazily across the ground.

If it had opposable thumbs, Kei was absolutely convinced it would have given him a thumbs-up of approval.

Then, as if mocking him, the Fangcub tilted its head, licking its lips before flashing him what could only be described as a grateful expression.

"Thank you for tenderizing your meat. Such a good meal."

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Kei stared.

Then he sighed.

"Yeah… I really don’t like you."

----------------------------------------

Noting the pebbles still in his pockets, Kei took inventory of them.

"One to zero," he muttered.

His previous failed attempts at throwing pebbles flashed through his mind.

As he remained stuck in the tree, he found himself reflecting on the mechanics of throwing—and more importantly, which stat would best help him take that smug pup’s eye out.

"Increased density in muscle fibers might help with force," he mused. "But being more aware of my body in relation to the world might improve my aim more."

He thought back to his stat allocations, considering the difference between Strength and Dexterity.

Strength would make his throws heavier, but Dexterity would refine them.

And right now, precision mattered more than power.

Glancing toward a tree a couple of meters in front of him, he picked up the first of the twenty pebbles he had collected.

As a test run to judge a baseline for his accuracy, he flicked his wrist, sending the pebble toward the opposite tree—only to miss completely.

The Fangcub watched his failed attempt with amusement, making its gleeful mockery obvious.

Kei chose to ignore the beast, instead recounting his experience and taking mental notes of factors that were likely affecting his accuracy.

Adjusting his wrist movement and accounting for various external factors, he threw another pebble.

WHIRR—THUNK!

The pebble struck the opposite tree.

Kei grinned. "That’s a start."

"Awrf!"

The Fangcub let out an excited bark, wagging its tail as if celebrating his success.

Kei stared at it.

"I don’t know if I should be happy or insulted."

----------------------------------------

At this point, Kei was still stuck in the tree, the Fangcub waiting below, when the System's voice rang out, explaining the structured hierarchy of Forces in the multiverse.

As the System detailed the classification—Supreme, Grand, Major, and Minor—Kei continued throwing pebbles at the opposing tree, gradually fine-tuning his aim.

"Five to nine," he muttered. "Not a bad accuracy rate. At least I’m able to fine-tune the muscles and ligaments in my wrist."

Then, something caught his attention.

"Supreme, Grand, Minor… Breeze."

He reflected on an earlier moment—when he had felt his Force stir and become more attuned to the surrounding environment.

Closing his eyes, he focused inward.

Soon after, his Breeze Force stirred awake once more.

"I have six pebbles left, all of varying weights. The wind is picking up around me, and it’s easier to sense everything around me."

He took a deep breath.

If wind resistance could be manipulated, then his ability to control the force and trajectory of each pebble could be enhanced.

----------------------------------------

Kei considered the necessary force adjustments for an accurate throw under wind influence. The mass of the pebble determined how much force he needed to apply, but the wind speed and direction altered its path mid-flight.

If the wind pushed from the side, he needed to adjust his release angle. Too much compensation, and the pebble would veer off course. Too little, and the wind would completely ruin his shot.

Air resistance also played a role. A lighter pebble would be more affected by drag, requiring him to either throw harder or adjust his trajectory even more carefully. A heavier pebble, on the other hand, would be less influenced by the wind but required more force to reach the target accurately.

"The weight of the pebble, the wind speed, and the drag… I can feel them now."

His Breeze Force stirred again, almost instinctively guiding his awareness.

He adjusted his grip, feeling the flow of Aether around him, the subtle shifts in the wind.

"This isn’t just about throwing anymore. If I can understand the forces at play, I can adjust mid-throw."

He lifted another pebble, exhaled, and let it fly—this time, with a calculated correction for wind resistance.

WHIRR—THUNK!

Dead center.

Kei smiled.

"Now we’re getting somewhere."